The Way Things Were
by Haruna Masaki 143
Summary: AU. ByaRen. Boy Love. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

I started this fic some time ago, and then life took over and it ended up getting pushed to the side, but the idea wouldn't leave my head, so I dug it up and finished up the first chapter. I hope you enjoy! And don't forget to review to tell me what you think! And hopefully I will have the next chapter up soon~

Summary:AU. Renji is on his way back to Japan from college in America with his roommate Ikkaku. He is determined to prove himself worthy of Byakuya, and while he attempts to find a job and a place to live, muses about his past with the dark haired man. But what will happen when he unexpectedly runs into Byakuya?

Disclaimer: I don't own.

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Chapter 1

It was a sunny afternoon in the late spring as Abarai Renji sat at the airport with his roommate for the past four years. The red-head fidgeted slightly as the pair waited for their flight back to Japan. He glanced over at his roommate to see the bald man staring at him exasperatedly.

Madarame Ikkaku sighed as he looked at the other. "If you want to see him so badly then why are we staying at a hotel instead of going to his house?"

"Because I don't know if he still lives there and I want to get a job first so I don't have to depend on him!" Renji replied.

"Che. Whatever. I'm going to get a cup of tea. Do you want anything?"

"Nah. S'ok"

Ikkaku nodded and walked away, leaving Renji to sit alone and think about the past.

_ Renji sat alone on a park bench, legs pulled up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs to keep warm. It was about ten o'clock at night in the middle of December. When he heard footsteps, the young red-head prepared to run. He looked in the direction of the approaching footsteps and saw the most beautiful man he had ever seen._

_ The man stopped and gazed at the boy sitting on the bench and noticed a few bruises and a cracked lip. "Shouldn't you be at home?" he asked._

_ "I don't have one," Renji replied, still ready to run if the man attempted to take him to the authorities._

_ "Really? How old are you?" the man asked, raising a pristine eyebrow._

_ "I'm fourteen," Renji replied, puffing out his chest to make himself appear bigger._

_ "Fourteen years old, running away from home and getting in fist fights?" _

_ "That place is not my home. And those people are not my parents. Parents aren't supposed to hurt their kids," Renji answered, looking down at the ground._

_ "So you would rather stay here and freeze? Let's go." The man grabbed Renji by the arm and began dragging him._

_ "W-where are you taking me?! Let go!" Renji tried to fight against the older man's surprisingly strong grip._

That night, Kuchiki Byakuya had taken Renji home with him. He lived in a nice sized apartment near the high school where he taught English.

Renji sighed as he remembered how the older man had taken him in without a moment's hesitation. The red-head began thinking that after that, there was no way he wouldn't have fallen in love with Byakuya.

"Flight 26 for Karakura Town is now boarding," the loud speaker announced. Renji got up and grabbed his carry-on bag, looking around for Ikkaku. He spotted the bald man walking towards him with a cup of tea in his hand. Together, the pair boarded the flight. Once they were seated and situated, they began chatting about nothing in particular for a while. Eventually, Ikkaku had fallen asleep and Renji was once again left to his thoughts.

_It was late at night, at least 1 o'clock, and Renji couldn't fall asleep. It had been two years since he had been taken in by Byakuya, and recently he couldn't stop thinking about the older man. And by thinking about him, I mean dreaming about him. And by dreaming about him, I mean wet dreams. Yes, Renji was attracted to the man that took him in and acted as his guardian for the past two years. He knew it was wrong, after all Byakuya was 25 years old and taught English at the high school he was enrolled in. But he couldn't help it. Renji blamed the hormones._

_ So, unable to sleep, Renji went into the kitchen to make himself a late night snack. He then went and sat on the couch in the den and turned on the television. He had been watching infomercials for about half an hour, when a voice right behind him startled him. "What are you doing up still?"_

_ "B-B-B-B-Byakuya! Don't scare me like that!" Renji waited until his heart rate returned to normal before answering the question. "I…couldn't sleep."_

_ "Hmmm. Me either," Byakuya stated before sitting down on the couch next to the young red-head. Renji blushed at the close proximity and his blush darkened when he realized the affect the close proximity was having on his body. "What's wrong?" a concerned voice asked from next to him._

_ "Nothing!" was the quick response._

_ "Liar. Look at me. What's wrong?" Byakuya asked again as he grabbed Renji's face and turned it towards him._

_ They sat like that for what felt like forever, staring at each other. Still blushing and lost in the moment, Renji slowly leaned in to kiss the teacher. It was several long moments before Byakuya hesitantly responded. Once they parted, they looked at each other again for another minute, before Byakuya leaned back in to kiss the younger of the two once more. As the kiss heated up, Renji maneuvered himself so that he was straddling Byakuya and moaned softly, pressing his hips against the other._

_ With a slight gasp, Byakuya pulled away from the kiss and pushed Renji so he was sitting back on the couch. "No sex until you are 18. I refuse to do it with a minor. Now get some sleep. You have school tomorrow." And with that, Byakuya walked away and back into his room. Several minutes later, Renji snuck into his room and crawled in his bed with the raven haired man and curled up against his back. Byakuya grunted and Renji pleadingly asked, "Can I stay with you? Please?" _

_ Byakuya gave in and every night after that, he and Renji slept in the same bed._


	2. Chapter 2

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: So this chapter is short, but I hope you like it. Rating will go up for the next chapter! Also, please review. While I love that people are adding this to their alert/favorite story lists, its a little frustrating for me to receive more notifications about that than notifications for reviews. They also motivate me to write faster~ ^^ Anyways, enjoy and thank you to anyone who reviewed the first chapter ^^

Abarai Renji was bored. He had been on the plane for a few hours at this point and had been bored for the past hour. Ikkaku was sleeping next to him, so he couldn't even talk to the other man. Not knowing what else he could really do, Renji decided that he too would take a nap. After closing his eyes, the redhead slowly began to drift to sleep.

_"Abarai-kun! You're late!" The teacher stated as the young man walked in to take his seat._

_"Hai hai. Gomen Kuchiki-sensei." Renji stated with boredom, knowing Byakuya was going to be pissed at him._

_"Since you seem to think arriving in class on time is unimportant, you can stay after school today for detention. Do not be late," the raven haired man stated before continuing to take roll._

_"Damn. Is is just me or does it seem like Kuchiki-sensei is always harder on you than anyone else Renji? And what the heck happened to your face?" said boy's strawberry-blonde friend, Ichigo, said from behind him._

_"Dunno. And these punks decided to pick a fight with me because they didn't like the way I looked at them or some bull shit reason like that," the teen responded. He knew that Byakuya was harder on him when it came to school because the older man was, really, his guardian. The fact that Byakuya was his guardian had never been an issue before. That is, until this year when Renji had him as a teacher. Now the English teacher was harder on him than any of his other students and refused to tolerate anything from the younger._

_"Ouch. That's harsh man. You should put some ice on that too. Its already pretty swollen."_

_"I'll live. It barely even hurts. Punks hit like a bunch of girls."_

_The day dragged on slowly, but finally, the regular school day was over. Renji sighed as he made his way to Byakuya's classroom to serve his detention. He knocked on the door lightly and waited to be told to go in before he opened the door and walked to a seat in the front of the room._

_"Why were you late?" the raven haired man asked, looking up from the tests he had been grading. "And what happened to your face? I thought you said you would stop fighting."_

_"Its not like it was my fault. These punks didn't like the way I looked at them or something. They said I was giving them a dirty look- which I wasn't- and decided to pick a fight with me. Took me by surprise at first and the bastard managed to land a hit," Renji explained, avoiding looking at the other man._

_He heard Byakuya sigh and continued looking down at the desk. Suddenly, he felt hands on his face, turning it so that the teacher could get a better look at the injury. "You should have put ice on it. You are going to have a bruise there. Does it hurt?"_

_"Not too bad," Renji replied, feeling a bit better after seeing that Byakuya was concerned about him. "Wanna kiss it and make it better anyways?"_

_The older man chuckled softly and moved back to his desk to continue his work. "Maybe later. After I finish grading these we can go home together okay?" After receiving a nod from the other, Byakuya began to concentrate on the tests he was grading._

Renji woke up when he felt Ikkaku shaking him. "The fuck man?"

"We're landing. Fasten your damn seatbelt," the other stated.

"Yes, mother," the redhead stated sarcastically.

The pair looked at one another and snorted, then Renji fastened his seat belt and prepared to land. Once they were back on land and had gotten off the plane, the pair went to get their luggage and then find a taxi to take them to the hotel they had made reservations at.

The pair did not have to wait long for a taxi, and after a short drive, they had arrived at their hotel. Renji went inside first to check in as Ikkaku unloaded their luggage. Several minutes later, the redhead went back outside to help his friend take their luggage up to their shared room.

"I'm gonna go jump in the shower 'cause I have an interview in two hours," Renji stated, already stripping off his clothes until he was only in his boxers. He grabbed the clothes he was going to wear for the interview as well as his shower stuff before heading into the bathroom.

An hour and a half later, Renji was standing in front of a very familiar building. It had been four years since he had graduated, thinking he would never come back to this school again. And now he was standing out front, preparing to have an interview for a job. Putting a stop to his thoughts, Renji began making his way inside for his interview.

***

"Damn that interview was exhausting," Renji stated as he walked in the door.

"Welcome back man. Took you long enough. I'm fucking starving. Let's go get some dinner," Ikkaku stated.

"Alright. Let me change first and then we can go. I know a good restaurant nearby."

After Renji finished changing, the pair made their way to the redhead's favorite restaurant, which was also a bar. He had often eaten there when on a date with Byakuya and missed the good food that they had. Upon arrival, they were seated and Renji began looking at the menu excitedly. The waitress came and they ordered their drinks and food.

The pair sat talking and drinking long after they had finished their food. It wasn't until hours later that the friends stumbled out of the bar/restaurant and drunkenly hailed a cab. After arriving back at their hotel room, Renji began stripping off his clothes until he was in nothing but his boxers. Then the redhead fell in to bed and passed out.

_"Renji stop being unreasonable," Byakuya sighed. All he wanted to do was go to bed, but it seemed Renji had other plans._

_"You're the one being unreasonable!" Renji glared at the older man._

_"I told you already. I am not going to have sex with a minor."_

_"I'm turning 18 in a month! Give me a break will ya? I know you want to do it too!"_

_"That may be so, but I stand by what I said before. You are not of age yet, and therefore we will not be having sex."_

_"You're killing me here! Do you have any idea how much I want you?"_

_"Renji. Stop throwing a fit because I will not give you what you desire."_

_"Fine then if you're not going to fuck me then I don't want to sleep in the same bed! So get out!"_

_"Renji-"_

_"GET OUT!" Renji yelled, throwing a pillow at Byakuya to try to get his point across._

_Byakuya sighed, but turned and left the room to go and sleep on the couch's pull out bed. This was not the first time this had happened and by the looks of it, it definitely would not be the last either. He laid down and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. Finally, he began drifting off to sleep, wishing Renji would hurry up and turn 18 already._

_The raven haired man woke up a few hours later when he felt movement next to him. He turned to look and found Renji laying next to him. "If you are just going to end up coming out here to sleep with me then why do you bother to kick me out in the first place?"_

_"Gomen. You know that I get cranky when I'm horny. I'm so tired of this Kuya."_

_Byakuya sighed softly, wrapping his arms around the other. "I know. This is difficult for both of us."_

_Renji sighed as well, closing his eyes to sleep. "I love you Kuya."_

_"I love you too Renji."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Me no own.

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Renji walked down the familiar street, looking at the houses and apartments that he hadn't seen in so long. His gaze lingered on one apartment building in particular, trying to find any indication that the raven haired man he had lived with for so long still resided in the building. The tatooed man sighed, not seeing Byakuya. Although, he didn't really expect to see the other man just looking out the window or walking out of the building as he walked past.

The red head looked back at the side walk in front of him and continued walking on, seeing what else had changed in his old neighborhood. So far, not much had changed except the old bar finally got shut down for all sorts of different health violations. As he came to the park- or what once was the park- where Byakuya had found him on that cold night many years ago, a frown marred his face. What used to be the park, was now a new housing development.

Shaking his head, Renji decided to go to the market like he had told Ikkaku he was going to do and then head back to the shared hotel room. He pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and studied the list of things he was supposed to buy. Once he was fairly certain he had memorized it, he shoved it back in his pocket and continued on.

Half an hour later, the red head arrived back at the hotel, carrying a few bags of groceries and beer.

"The fuck took so long man?" Ikkaku demanded as soon as he walked in the hotel room.

"I had something I wanted to do first," was his reply.

"Did you go see him like I've been telling you you should?"

"Nope. Anything good on T.V.?" Renji asked as he plopped down on his bed and grabbed the remote for the television.

"Don't know. I was looking for a job online."

Renji grunted in response as he flipped through the channels, trying to find something decent to watch. He finally settled on a game show. After about twenty minutes however, he began slowly drifting off to sleep.

_"Byakuya! Come on! Its close enough to midnight! Let's just do it! Please?" Renji looked up at the other male._

_"No, Renji. There is still fifteen minutes until you turn 18," the older of the two stated before leaning back down and capturing the other's lips in another kiss._

_"It's only fifteen minutes! It won't kill you to at least start now!" Renji pleaded, already painfully hard due to their long make-out session._

_"You've waited this long and you can't wait for fifteen more minutes?" the older man chuckled softly, kissing down the other's bare chest to latch onto an erect nipple._

_The younger one moaned, arching into Byakuya's touch. "It's kind of difficult....when you are doing that," Renji panted as the other continued his ministrations._

_Byakuya smirked as he moved a hand further down, teasingly running his fingers along the waistband of Renji's pajama pants. Then he grasped the waistband of his pants and boxers with both of his hands and swiftly pulled them down and off of his lover. The older male leaned back to gaze appreciatively at the blushing red head._

_Not liking being the only one naked, Renji also reached for the other one's pants and boxers. However, he was stopped mid-motion as Byakuya took over and slowly slid his remaining clothes off as well having already removed his shirt earlier. Then he reached over to the night stand and pulled a small bottle out of the top drawer. He set the bottle down on the bed before continuing to move down his lover's body. Once Byakuya reached the younger one's arousal, he looked back up at the red head before swiftly leaning down and engulfing the entire erection at once._

_As anticipated, Renji moaned loudly and tried bucking his hips into that warm cavern, only to find the other man was holding his hips down. While his younger partner was distracted, Byakuya grabbed the bottle he had set down on the mattress and uncapped it, pouring a generous amount into his free hand. He then reached lower and began teasing the red heads entrance before finally slipping a finger in._

_Not noticing when the older man began preparing him, Renji continued moaning, only wanting more of that blissful wet heat. He had never felt anything this good in his entire life. His hand couldn't compare at all. When a second finger was inserted, Renji felt slight discomfort, but still the pleasure of Byakuya's mouth overrode the pain of being stretched. A third finger was inserted and the red head cringed. It was more painful than he would have liked for it to be and the pleasure he received was no longer enough to mask that pain._

_Suddenly, Byakuya hit something that made him see starts and _scream_ in pleasure. As the older man kept hitting that spot, Renji felt himself coming undone. "Ngh. Kuya..I-I'm gonna- AHHHH!" the younger man moaned loudly as he came hard down the older mans throat._

_The raven haired man looked up at his lover before moving to kiss him softly. "We're not finished yet Renji," he stated, nipping on the younger one's collar bone and neck lightly. As the raven haired man continued lavishing his neck and chest with nips and kisses, Renji felt himself beginning to stir again. With a little more coaxing from the other man, he was fully erect and moaning in a matter of minutes._

_Once again, Byakuya reached for the bottle of lube and coated his own aching length before positioning himself at the other one's entrance. "Are you ready?" he asked, just to be sure._

_The younger one nodded and Byakuya slowly began sheathing himself in the tight heat. Renji grimaced, trying not to let out any whimpers of pain. After what felt like ages, the raven haired man stilled and allowed his lover to adjust. After several moments, he shifted slightly, testing things out. He was surprised when he heard a strangled moan from the other man. He tried it again._

_"Nnnngh. Renji. Take however long you need. But if you keep doing that, then I don't know if I will be able to control myself," he stated._

_Renji smirked and shifted again while replying, "Then don't control yourself."_

_Immediately, Byakuya pulled out and thrust back in, going slow so he didn't hurt the other. The pace continued on as such, slow and steady, until a well aimed thrust struck Renji's prostate._

_"Ah! Kuya!"_

_Understanding, Byakuya continued thrusting at the same angle so that he could hit his lover's prostate each time, also speeding up with each thrust._

_Soon the pair were both moaning, although, Byakuya not very loudly, and calling one another's names. The older male reached a hand down to begin stroking the other's erection, which was slick with precome._

_"Kuya....I'm gonna...come!" Renji moaned, fingers clawing at the sheets. After another hard thrust from Byakuya, the red head spilled his seed over both of their abdomen's. Feeling the other's muscles contracting around him, Byakuya followed right after, moaning Renji's name._

"Shit!" Renji jolted awake, feeling very _uncomfortable_ in his pants.

"What's wrong man?" Ikkaku asked from across the room where he was still searching for a job on his laptop.

"Uh. Nothing. I'm gonna take a shower and then we can go get some dinner."

"Alright. Sounds good."

Renji grabbed a change of clothes before entering the bathroom and locking the door. After pulling off his shirt and throwing it on the floor, he undid his pants. Then he quickly pulled them off along with his boxers, sighing in relief when his erection was released from the tightness of his jeans. The red head took his hair tie out of his hair and turned the water to hot, waiting for it to warm up before getting in.

After washing his hair, Renji finally allowed a hand to reach down and grasp his aching arousal. Thoughts of Byakuya filled his mind as he touched himself underneath the hot spray of the shower. After several minutes, he groaned as he came and then watched as the water washed his mess down the drain. Once he regained control of his breathing and stopped panting, he finished his shower.

Several minutes later, Renji stepped out of the bathroom, dirty clothes in his arms. He shoved them into the bag that held the rest of his dirty laundry before grabbing his hairbrush and putting his hair back up.

"Alright. You ready?" he asked his roommate, once he was finished getting ready.

"Yup. Let's go. Where do you want to eat tonight?" Ikkaku asked.

"Let's just go to the bar. We can get something to eat while we're there."

"Alright."

Side by side, the pair made their way to the bar together, where they ended up drinking until late that night. It wasn't until after midnight that the pair stumbled back to their hotel room and in the door. As they were holding onto one another for support, they couldn't both fit through the doorway at the same time and ended up tripping and falling to the floor.

They lay there like that for a few minutes until Renji began trying to lift himself up. "We need ta get up 'Kaku." Unwilling to lift himself to his feet once more, Ikkaku groaned and began crawling across the floor to his bed. Renji managed to stand up and stumble to his bed and flopping down on it. The red head passed out seconds afterward.

_"Byakuya. There's something I need to tell you," Renji approached his lover one evening._

_"What's wrong?" the other asked, picking up on the serious tone of the younger one's voice._

_"I got this great offer from this college- free tuition and everything. I just need to pay for travel expenses," the red head responded._

_"That's wonderful. Where is it?" Byakuya asked, not seeing why the younger one was so solemn._

_"America," Renji stated, staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen._

_"I see..." the raven haired man replied softly. "It's a great opportunity. If that's what you really want to do, then I think you should go for it."_

_"Will you come with me?" Renji asked, looking at the other with courage shining in his eyes._

_"I'm sorry, Renji, but that's something that I just can't do. I think you should go though. It will be a good opportunity for you to discover new things."_

_"But what about us then?"_

_"When the time comes for you to leave, I'll end things between us."_

_"Byakuya! You're going to break up with me?"_

_"Yes, Renji. I'm the only one you have ever dated. When you are in America, you might find someone new who you like and want to be with. I don't want to be in your way."_

_"But Byakuya-"_

_"And," Byakuya cut in, "if you don't come back, then I will know that you have found someone new."_

_Renji stared at the other, not sure what to say and unable to do anything else._

_"But no matter what happens, Renji, I will wait for you to come back."_

**A/N:** That's all for this chapter. I hope it was to your liking. It's been a long time since I have written a lemon on my own, so any feedback or thoughts are greatly appreciated. I'm anticipating one more chapter, but that may change to two depending on how long the next one ends up being.


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